Founders College – Peer Mentor Coordinator
Program: Founders College Peer Mentor Network
Unit / Department: Founders College
Job Type: Leadership, Peer Leader Roles
Eligibility: You must be eligible for work-study or international work-study to work within the Faculty of LA&PS. Please review the eligibility requirements for domestic students and international students to verify your status.
Number of Positions Available: 2
Type of Position: Paid
Rate of Pay: $16.00 per hour
Employment Term: May 2022-April 2023
Hours of Work: SU 15 hours per week; F/W 10 hours per week
Job Description:
The Peer Mentor program serves all LA&PS students by fostering the academic and organizational skills necessary for academic and personal success across LA&PS affiliated disciplines and works to promote active student engagement through social and community building initiatives. Through group workshops and one-on-one consultation services, the Peer Mentor Coordinator promotes independent learning by working with students to develop university-level learning skills and strategies, enhanced self-awareness about themselves, and improved academic confidence and success. Social and community building initiatives will contribute a student’s sense of connection to York University and their peers, enhancing their overall student experience outside of the classroom.
The Peer Mentor Coordinator supports the mandate of York University by contributing to successful transitions to university, retention, engagement, and student academic and personal success. The Peer Mentor Coordinator support projects of the Peer Leaders, the effective delivery of various Peer Mentor initiatives and programming, provide student leadership to the Peer Mentor team, and supports the Founders Peer Mentor program.
As part of your experience, you will participate in Becoming YU, a program designed to support students in:
- Creating meaningful goals and objectives
- Recognizing the value of their personal, academic, and professional experiences
- Identifying their competencies and skills
- Articulating their skills and experiences with confidence.
Becoming YU includes regular meetings with your supervisor/coach to reflect on your progress and get valuable feedback.
Responsibilities
- Support with training Founders Peer Leaders and Peer Mentor volunteers
- Assist in the selection process of Peer Mentor Volunteers for the fall/winter session
- Assist in the development of content and planning for the summer, fall, and winter orientation events
- Participates in Orientation programming in collaboration with the Founders College Office of the College Head to create awareness of the Peer Mentor Network and its services
- Schedule group workshop sessions for the Founders Peer Leaders/Volunteers for as needed
- Participate in weekly check-in meetings with Founders Peer Leaders to support project progress, Becoming YU personal goals, and team cohesion
- Provide peer-to-peer support, via in-person, online drop-in, or peer mentoring sessions
- Triage student needs with the appropriate campus resources
- Assist with outreach strategies (for example, summer new students, international students, mature and commuter students, by working with on-campus partners)
- Assist with developing and implementing of a social media strategy (Instagram, Facebook, email etc.)
- Collaborate with the Student Engagement Coordinator to continually assess the Peer Mentor Network through the weekly data collection of student interactions and consults, workshops, and other activities for the Year-End Report
- Facilitate collaboration with Founders College Council and Founders-affiliated student clubs for events and initiatives to promote the overall college experience
- Various administrative duties as assigned, including scheduling, record-keeping and collating ongoing feedback for the Founders Peer Mentor Network
- Attend all meetings and participate in projects undertaken by the LA&PS Peer Mentor Community of Practice (PMCOP)
- Support communication and teamwork integrating tools (MS Teams, Slack, WhatsApp etc.)
- Research on training and development, as assigned
- Attend all training sessions and meetings
- Stay in regular contact with the Student Engagement Coordinator
- Complete other duties as assigned
Qualifications:
- Current undergraduate York student
- Founders-affiliated student is strongly preferred- to check your College affiliation, visit https://colleges.yorku.ca/affiliations/
- High academic standing
- Previous relevant experience with peer mentoring, tutoring or other peer support at a post-secondary, preferably university level
- Previous experience as a Founders Peer Leader is preferred
- Eagerness to learn and take initiative
- Knowledge of York’s services and resources for students
- Students who are a good fit for this position are dynamic, approachable, knowledgeable and open to learning about themselves and others. They will show high levels of emotional intelligence combined with excellent adaptability, organizational skills, and team-building skills
Skills
- Experience-based knowledge of effective study strategies and learning skills
- Extensive knowledge of York University and Founders College specific resources
- Ability to liaise with campus partners including but not limited to: Learning Skills Services, Career Centre, and LA&PS Academic Advising
- Experience with project management tools such as MS Teams, Slack, etc.
- Sensitivity to and awareness of the academic support needs of students
- Ability to work supportively with students in a confidential and professional manner
- Demonstrated commitment to peer support and the value of post-secondary education
- Demonstrate leadership ability
- Excellent oral and written communications skills
- Strong presentation skills
- Some graphic design/ artistic ability, marketing and/or communications background is an asset
- Great attention to detail
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Ability and willingness to work both independently and as part of a team
Required Application Documents: Cover Letter, Resume